Liu Ding Appointed Curator of the 19th Istanbul Biennial

Primo Marella Gallery is pleased to announce that Liu Ding has been appointed, together with curator and researcher Carol Yinghua Lu, as curator of the 19th Istanbul Biennial, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). The Biennial will take place from September 18 to November 14, 2027.

Artist and curator based in Beijing, Liu Ding has developed a multidisciplinary practice that moves between artistic production, research, and exhibition-making. His work investigates the relationship between historical narratives and contemporary realities, exploring how cultural memory, systems of representation, and modes of knowledge shape our understanding of the present.

Liu Ding and Carol Yinghua Lu have collaborated as a research and curatorial team since 2007. Together, they have developed numerous exhibitions and research projects, including the 8th Yokohama Triennale (2024), where they served as artistic directors, as well as exhibitions focused on the historical and contemporary resonance of socialist realism within Chinese art.

The appointment as curator of the 19th Istanbul Biennial represents an important recognition of Liu Ding’s ongoing contribution to contemporary art, both as an artist and as a critical thinker. His practice has been presented in major international institutions and exhibitions, including M+ Museum in Hong Kong, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Turin, Tate Modern in London, MoMA PS1 in New York, and numerous international biennials.

The conceptual framework, title, venues, and further details of the 19th Istanbul Biennial will be announced in the coming months.